Storm retain Olam

THE Melbourne Storm are understood to have agreed to terms that will see Papua New Guinea Kumuls centre Justin Olam stay with the National Rugby League (NRL) club.
All NRL contract registrations remain on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Olam joining a growing list of players waiting for approval on new deals when Australia’s premier rugby league competition resumes.
The list includes Newcastle-bound Tyson Frizell and Tigers centre Paul Momirovski.
Foxsports.com.au has been told that Olam and the 2017 premiers have an agreement in place for a new two-year deal.
The PNG international — who has made 19 appearances for Melbourne so far — enjoyed a stellar 2019, earning a starting spot in the Storm backline.
He was in fine form in their run to the minor premiership, scoring seven tries and averaging over 108m with the ball.
Three of those tries came in a win over Manly and Olam also played in PNG’s historic 28-10 win over Great Britain at the Oil Search National Football Stadium in Port Moresby on Nov 16 last year.
The long-term security for Olam, who made his NRL debut against the St George Illawarra Dragons on May 6, 2018, caps a remarkable rise for him. Hailing from rural PNG, it wasn’t until 2016 that he was signed by a professional club, yet less than two years later, he was debuting for the Storm and being coached by Craig Bellamy.
The 26-year-old was coming off contract later this year but the Storm have ensured that they will enjoy some continuity in the backline over the coming seasons.
Suliasi Vunivalu is heading to Super Rugby next season, while Josh Addo-Carr has an agreement with Melbourne that he can return to Sydney by the end of the season.
The Storm have also allowed Curtis Scott to leave for Canberra while veteran centre Will Chambers departed for Japanese rugby union in recent months. – Fox Sports